Tag: God’s kingdom

How do you imagine perfection? Not just partial perfection or perfection in one person, but full, true perfection? God’s kingdom fully on earth is what true perfection looks like. The end of Revelation depicts what the new Jerusalem will look like. It is the return of what God intended for earth. This is something we should long and pray for.

Malachi 1:1-2:17:

1-5 – The words love and hate could be exchanged for “chose” and “did not choose”. God chose Jacob to set up his people. He did not choose Esau. Not only did Esau forego his blessing and birthright, but his descendants often fought against the Israelites. They brought God’s curse upon themselves.

6-14 – The Lord denounces the blemished offerings the priests put before him. These half-hearted offerings showed their lack of devotion to God.

1-9 – The priests had been given special authority. God asked that they honor him and lead the rest of the people in spiritual practices. Here he rebukes them for failing to do so.

10-16 – Scholars disagree on whether this is actually talking about marriage and marrying foreign women or metaphorically speaking of idolatry. Either way, the Judeans were practicing things God did not approve of.

Revelation 21:1-27:

1-7 – This scene depicts God’s kingdom officially and completely coming to earth, like we pray in the Lord’s prayer.

9-27 – The scene depicts the new Jerusalem where God will dwell negating the need for a temple, any other source of light, and presumably many other things necessary in our current construct.

Psalm 149:1-9:

1-5 – So many of the psalms instruct us to praise God and a large percentage of those instruct us to praise him specifically with songs. It is important that we, as a people, do not get out of this habit.

Proverbs 31:10-24:

10-24 – These verses describe an excellent wife. Her characteristics include productivity, generosity, care for others, integrity, and preparedness.

Merry Christmas! And happy reading finale!! You did it! You’re here! Pat yourself on the back and soak in the excitement of a completed job well done. We pray that this year of reading has nourished you and drawn you much closer to God. Yes, you probably still have questions, but that’s ok. The Bible is God’s living word, so there is always more to learn and understand.

This week, you will finish the Bible, but pay close attention to the end of Revelation. It is the reminder that when we pray and ask God to make our kingdom on earth just like the one he has in heaven, he actually plans to do just that.

God’s plan is to, in the end, restore all things to wholeness and perfection. We will be healed completely and all things will return to how he intended them.

As your reading is completed, let your soul be filled with great hope. God restores us in the end. Hallelujah! Amen!!

Sometimes we just need a change in perspective. Our world has convinced us that everything is urgent, which often pushes out what’s important. In today’s psalm, the psalmist begins it by stating how magnificent it is to be in God’s presence. The psalmist even states how he longs to spend time with the Lord. If we could shift our perspective from the urgent to something more like the psalmist, we’d be a lot better off.

Joshua 11:1-12:24:

15 – There are a number of times where Scripture describes someone doing everything exactly as they were instructed, or in this case, leaving nothing undone. One hundred percent compliance is what God wants from us.

Luke 17:11-37:

17-19 – All 10 were healed, but only one praised God for it. Each of us receives blessings, but few of us remember to give God thanks for the blessings he’s given.

20-21 – Living on earth, we are caught in what is often called the “already but not yet”. This means we can experience some of God’s Kingdom here on earth: grace, joy, selfless love. But we are also still waiting for the fullness of God’s kingdom because we still experience pain, suffering, and injustices here on earth.

31-37 – These verses are where the idea of the rapture derives. Many believe that when Jesus comes again, believers will be taken up with him instantaneously and non-believers will be left behind.

Psalm 84:1-12:

1-2 – So often we feel as if we have to make time for God or that time with him is simply an item on a checklist. The Psalmist here has a very different view of God and what a gift it is to be in his presence. He says that his soul longs and faints to be in the presence of God.

10-12 – Beautiful imagery of the blessing it is to be in God’s presence, the way he cares for and protects us, and how he gives us good gifts.

Proverbs 13:5-6:

We view most sins as harmless, but this verse explains that sin can overthrow us and lead to our ultimate demise.